Today, weddings are expensive obsessions. One afternoon’s flip through the cable stations—to shows like Platinum Weddings and Bridezilla–reveals our fascination with these lavish performances. Thus 27 Dresses arrives at a perfect time but with a surprising message. Television suggests we tend to get married for the wedding; 27 Dresses reminds us that we have a wedding in order to get married.

Katherine Heigl plays Jane, a woman more obsessed with weddings than the average American girl. The obsession developed as a salve against the loss of her mother. She becomes an amateur wedding planner/bridesmaid by night, while by day she is an executive assistant in love with her boss. Drama follows when Jane’s sister comes for a visit and steals every one of Jane’s wedding dreams, from the boss to the dress. Comedy and romance arrive with Kevin (James Marsden). He invades her busy universe as a wedding columnist who finds weddings ridiculous and thinks her obsession will inspire an article that will advance him towards more serious journalism.

The appeal of 27 Dresses rests in the forced association between Jane and Kevin, their conflict and friendship. The dialogue has the wit of classic comedies from the 30s and 40s; the montage where she walks him through the 27 weddings for which she has bridesmaid dresses makes the movie. There are sexual references and a sex scene more implied than seen (which earns the PG-13 rating), but neither Jane nor Kevin advocate the casual sex their friends look for at weddings. For them, weddings are commitment not entertainment.